There are lots of ways you can make junk journal tassels. Every crafter I know has their own way of making them – ranging from quick and simple to complex and fiddly.
A few years ago, at about 3 in the morning, I discovered a super simple way to make them and I’ve been making them the same way ever since. Now, I can make a tassel for a journal in 15 minutes or less! Read on to find out how.
What Is A Junk Journal Tassel?
If you’re new to making junk journals and are still learning some of the lingo, then junk journal tassels (sometimes also referred to as boho tassels or spine jewellery) are decorative embellishments made from a mix of ribbons, laces, trims or lengths of fabric scraps. They’re designed to hang from the spine of your journal, adding extra texture and interest to it – especially if your cover is on the simpler side.
You can customise your tassels to match the theme, style and colour of your journal. You can also add a touch of whimsy to them with beads, charms, bells and other embellishments. However you choose to make them, tassels add such a beautiful finishing touch to any journal.
How To Make A Tassel For Your Junk Journal
What You’ll Need:
- A selection of laces, trims, ribbons, string/twine and lengths of fabric scraps in your chosen colours, all measuring double the length of your journal
- A keyring or similar circular attachment
- Twine or embroidery floss (for tying off the tassel securely)
- Fabric scissors
- A lighter (to seal the ends of the ribbon to prevent it from fraying)
- A bulb pin, paperclip or Tim Holtz ring fastener (to hang your tassel on your journal)
- (Optional) Beads, charms, bells and other little embellishments
Video Tutorial
Written Instructions
Step 1. Choose your trims and cut them to size.
Once you’ve chosen various trims to suit your journal, start by cutting them all to size. You’ll want to aim for approximately two times the height of your journal. This means your trims will usually be about 15 to 16 inches long. Once folded in half, this will give you a tassel roughly the length of your journal, which looks more elegant than one that’s too long or too short.
Step 2. Thread the trims through your keyring.
Gather all the trims you’ve cut and thread them through your keyring or whichever circular attachment you use. You may need to do this in stages if your keyring is on the smaller side. Ensure the keyring is in the centre of your trims and that everything is hanging evenly.
Step 3. Arrange the trims how you like them.
Before tying off your tassel, take a moment to adjust the arrangement of your trims. For instance, if you want certain colours or trims to stand out, you can move them to the front or the outside.
Step 4. Tie the tassel.
Once you’re happy with the arrangement, gather the trims about an inch below the keyring. Take some twine or embroidery floss and tie it tightly around the gathered trims to secure the tassel. Make sure your knot is as tight as possible to prevent any pieces from slipping out of place. You can tie a few extra knots for good measure.
💡 Top Tip: Allow the ends of the twine to hang down as part of your tassel. These will be perfect for threading beads and charms onto later.
Step 5. Add beads, charms, bells and other embellishments.
Now it’s time to give your tassel a bit of extra pizzazz and sparkle! Thread beads, charms, or even bells onto the twine you secured your tassel with earlier. You can also tie these onto some of the other trims (just as long as they’re thin enough to thread through your beads or jump rings). Ensure you’ve tied the knots securely to stop your beads and charms from coming off.
💡 Top Tip: You may need to use a needle to thread some of the beads and charms onto your trims.
Step 6. Trim and tidy up your tassel.
Once you’ve added your embellishments, you might need to cut a few of the trims down to size or to tidy them up.
💡 Top Tip: If you’ve used any kind of smooth or satin ribbon in your tassel, you can carefully seal the ends of it with a lighter to prevent it from fraying. But be careful! You only need to use the heat from the lighter rather than the actual flame. We don’t want to turn into pyrotechnics as well as junk hoarders now do we?!
Step 7. Add a decorative bow and even more charms to finish off.
Remember when you used twine or embroidery floss to tie off your tassel earlier? Let’s hide that with a pretty bow!
I like to use ribbon as it looks decorative and creates a beautiful focal point against the spine of your journal. It also gives the illusion that the tassel is tied with the ribbon itself rather than the twine, which is now hidden.
I also like to hang a bulb pin from the middle of the bow, which has yet more charms hanging from it.
Step 8. Attach your tassel to your journal.
Now you’re ready to attach your tassel to your journal! To do this, I usually thread a bulb pin through the keyring, which I then hang from an eyelet in the middle of the spine. Alternatively, you can hang it from a paperclip or Tim Holtz’s special ring fasteners.
I hope you enjoy making your tassel! With a little bit of practice, I’m sure you’ll be making them as quickly as I do in no time.
More Tassel Examples
As I mentioned earlier, I follow the same steps for all my tassels – the only thing that changes is the colours of the trims, beads and charms.
Here are some examples of how my tassels turned out for some of my other projects:
Discover More Junk Journal Techniques
If you make anything inspired by this tutorial, I’d love to see it! Don’t forget to tag me on Facebook or Instagram.
And if you enjoyed this tutorial, why not pin or bookmark it now so you can refer back to it later?
